in the shape of a lion or other beast of prey, he, we are told,
destroyed whole armies.

_Thursday_ (Thors-d[oe]g) was dedicated to the adoration of Thor, the
bravest of the sons of Odin. Thor was the god of thunder; he had a
magnificent palace, which had five hundred and forty pillars, where he
received and made happy the warriors who had fallen in battle. By the
rolling of his chariot, thunder was produced. He had a smasher or
mauler, made by cunning dwarfs, which, after being thrown at an enemy,
had the property of returning to him. It was believed by the Pagans
that he possessed marvellous power and might, and that all people in
the world were subject to him. In the air he governed the winds and
clouds; and when displeased, he caused thunder, lightning, and
tempest, with excessive rain, hail, and bad weather. When pleased with
his worshippers, he gave them favourable weather, and caused corn and
fruit to grow abundantly, and kept away disease from man and beast.

The Laplanders represented Thor by the stump of a tree, rudely carved
to represent a man; and they supplied him with flint and steel, that
he might strike fire when he wanted it. Moreover, they placed a hammer
near him, which they supposed he would use with force against evil
spirits, for they thought he had sovereign authority over all the
mischievous and malevolent spirits that inhabited the air, mountains,
and lakes. High festivals were held in honour of this deity, as
noticed elsewhere, to supplicate for a propitious year, and at these
festivals every excess of extravagant and dissolute pleasure was not
only permitted, but was considered requisite.

_Friday_ derived its name from Frigga, the wife of Odin. She, as well
as her husband, possessed wonderful abilities, and, like Juno, was
held in the highest esteem and veneration for her power of procuring
easy access into the world, and bestowing every felicity connected
with the softer endearments of life. Frigga was thought to be the
mother of all the Pagan divinities of the Northern nations begotten by
Odin.

The Romans dedicated this day to Venus; whence its name, _Dies
Veneris, feria sexta_. That goddess having possessed many of the
attributes for which Frigga was celebrated, many authors have supposed
them originally to have meant the same divinity.

_Saturday_ has its name from Seater or Crodo, worshipped by the old
Saxons. He was lean, had long hair and a long beard. In his left hand
he held